Archive for the 'Ncaa Rules' Tag Under 'UCLA' Category

After years of widespread criticism regarding how it governed its member schools, sweeping reform could finally be on the horizon for the NCAA.

The Division-1 Board of Directors endorsed a plan on Thursday that would afford unprecedented autonomy to the NCAA's five power conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC) in time for next football season. If passed in August, the changes will allow for the 65 schools included in the "Big Five" to autonomously control the full cost of scholarships; academic support; insurance, including "policies that protect future earnings"; and the ability to pay for the travel expenses of family members, among other things.

The steering committee, which submitted its proposal to the Board of Directors, is also discussing several areas of potential autonomy, including the creation of mandatory time away from athletics and potential avenues for student athletes to have careers outside of athletics while still competing. Feedback on that process will come from member schools between now and June.

In terms of enacting actual legislation, the new proposal also outlined the creation of a 38-member council -- which includes voting two student athletes -- to be the final vote on rule-making decisions.

The governance proposal was the biggest news on Thursday, but the Board of Directors also made other sweeping changes official. Restrictions on athletes' meals and snacks were lifted. And the hardship transfer rule, which allowed for transferring players to be eligible immediately under extenuating circumstances, was eliminated.

SAN BERNARDINO -- UCLA coach Jim Mora, like many other coaches around college football, isn’t a fan of the NCAA’s new, controversial targeting rule, which allow officials to eject a player immediately if said player targets and makes contact with a defenseless player above the shoulders. But unlike others around the sport, Mora did absolutely nothing to hide his disdain for the new policy when asked about it on Thursday.

"The ramifications are so drastic,” Mora said. “You're talking about kicking a kid out of a game. The way that could affect his team and the way that it could affect his career, I don't like it at all. I think it's, in my opinion -- and I've been coaching for 29 years -- it's the worst rule I've ever heard of. And I'm not overstating that.”

Mora said that the NCAA put out a video explaining the rule change, but that it's still "not crystal clear" what officials will or won't call this season.

Mora’s particular beef was with the objectivity at the nature of the rule. Even this week, an official at UCLA’s practice alerted Mora that a specific hit would’ve resulted in an ejection, only to change their mind 30 minutes later.

"I understand play safety," Mora said. "But I also think that .. the penalty is so drastic and if they get it wrong, and then you come back on a Sunday or Monday and you said, 'We shouldn’t have kicked this kid out of a game.' Well, these kids only get so many games. They're not professional athletes. They're career might not go on for another 10 years … And to penalize them for something that they potentially didn't do, I think it would be a real tragedy.

CULVER CITY -- No one knows exactly how the NCAA's new targeting rules, meant to further protect players from shots to the head, will change college football this season and inthe seasons to come. But as question after question was asked during last week's media day mayhem about the new rule and its enforcement, reaction from players and coaches alike was two parts concern and one part apathy.

"I understand the rule," said UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr, who had his fair share of bone-crunching, potentially ejectable hits last season. "But as a defensive player, it’s going to be difficult to fully adjust my game. … So as I play, I’m going to play within the rules that I’ve always played and play like I’ve always played, full speed and attacking. And if I get penalized because of it, then so be it. But I’m going to play the way I play football."

That penalty, under the new rules, would result in an immediate ejection, upon video review of the play. And if it were to come in the second half, the penalized player would not only leave the game but also miss the first half of his team's next contest. The NCAA obviously isn't fooling around.

For example, take South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney's steamrolling of Michigan running back Vincent Smith, a hit that was so jaw-dropping it won the ESPY award for Play of the Year. ACC coordinator of officials Doug Rhoads said at ACC media day last Monday that he would've flagged Clowney for targeting on that play -- a call that, under the rule change, would warrant an immediate ejection.

That thought had some players reeling at the thought of the rule change last Friday at Pac-12 media day.